Science station adds new learning modules

The Navarre Beach Marine Science Station welcomed its first class field trip of the school year Thursday, Sept. 1, to participate in data collection and education about marine populations in the Santa Rosa Sound.

This is the first of 50 student groups scheduled to visit the station.

Director Charlene Mauro said this year’s curriculum has added several new learning experiences that teachers can chose from including examining the skeletal structure of marine mammals with an actual manatee skeleton, collecting data on biodiversity and applying math to the real world.

“We have one called ‘Math in the Sea’ where they do quadrants, which is another way to calculate populations. That is one that teachers like because we are integrating math,” Mauro said.

For the younger students, the station will offer scavenger hunts to find different birds and fish as well as relay-style activities.

One of the classes teaches students about the environmental impact of lionfish and then has them participate in a race to collect fake lionfish off the beach using trash collector spikes in place of spear guns.

Read the full article in the Sept. 1 issue of Navarre Press. Click HERE to subscribe for as little as $38 per year.

Second-year student of the program Zandra Nicely teaches Zach Gonzalez how to use the seine, a type of net, to gather organisms in Santa Rosa Sound behind the Navarre Beach Marine Science Station. The students count the types of organisms gathered to make data projections about the biodiversity of the area.

Navarre Beach Marine Science Station dual-enrollment student Teasia Tosta learns about plankton and assists in collecting data about the microorganisms of Navarre Beach.